​One of my all-time favorite bumper stickers reads “Wise men still seek Him.”
 
Long ago three wealthy wise men from the east followed a supernatural star halfway across the known world in search of an incredibly special person.
 
“And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”   Matthew 1:10-11
 
The bright, luminous star went before them, finally settling over Bethlehem, a humble, holy place where the Savior of the world was born.
 
The spontaneous response of the wise men was threefold.
 
First, “they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” What a happy night that first Christmas was! Great joy and rejoicing abounded and rebounded within the walls of the crude animal stable. It was party time in that first Nativity setting!
 
Secondly, when the ecstatic and expectant magi saw “the Child” with Mary His mother, “they fell down and worshipped Him.” Reverent worship. Respectful adoration. The only worthy response to the precious, special baby lying in a manger.
 
Thirdly, they “presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Lavishly expensive gifts were presented to this one-of- a- kind child. The wise men gave their best gifts to the One who was God’s best gift to humanity.
 
Christmas is all about Jesus Christ.
 
” The Child” was the focal point of that first Christmas and has been every Christmas since.
 
Wise men still seek Him. Only fools and a foolish world would try to remove Christ from Christmas. Yet it happens every Christmas season. The devil and those under his influence hate the fact that God’s only Son came to earth on Christmas. His miraculous incarnation and subsequent journey to crucifixion on the Cross and resurrection from the dead sealed Satan’s eternal doom.
           
Unhappy with the Christ of Christmas, Satan does all he can to erase “the Child” from our celebrations.
 
I have a news bulletin for the enemy of our souls and those who reject the Messiah of humanity.
 
Jesus Christ is not erasable!
 
Xmas does not cross out Christ. The Christian response is clear and needs to be heard: Christmas is a Christ-centered celebration. Jesus is and has always been the reason for the Christmas season.
             
The wise men set the pattern for celebrating Christmas. So simple and yet so profound. The person of the Christ child was the whole point and purpose of their sacred pilgrimage. With joyful abandon, they rejoiced in Jesus’ birth. They willingly humbled themselves to worship the Holy So of God. They showered the Savior with their best offerings.
 
The ancient wise men who first found Jesus did not know what we believers know today. So, should our response be any less than theirs? Of course not. It should be even greater! The wise men only knew of a baby in a manger. But we know a crucified and risen Lord and Savior who is coming back soon for us! Hallelujah!
 
My fellow Christian do not become distracted or silent this Christmas.
 
Rise up with boundless joy and rejoice in Jesus Christ. Be bold this Christmas. With the love of God in your heart, and the joy of the Holy Spirit on your lips, tell our spiritually lost world that there is a Savior.
           
His name is Jesus. He is Immanuel, God with us. Counter the world’s foolishness with God’s wisdom. In His wise love, God the Father sent God the Son to save all of us from sin, death and the grave.
 
The Son of God became the son of man so the sons of men could become the sons of God.
 
Now that is worth shouting about and sharing with everyone we know!
 
A Christ-centered Christmas is the only real Christmas.
 
Wise men still seek Him. Will this Christmas find you and your family seeking Him in a fresh way and sharing Him with others?        
             
“For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
 
“That God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 
                                                                                                             II Corinthians 5:19
 
A Word For Your Week: Celebrate “the Child” who is still the center of Christmas.

 There in times in life when all we can so is wait.
 
As I write, concerned people everywhere are in waiting mode. As you listen to conversations, people are waiting for the economy to recover, waiting for a new job, waiting for a raise or promotion, waiting for healing of a disease, waiting for the restoration of a marriage, waiting for a broken heart to mend, waiting for new opportunities and new doors to open, waiting for a husband or wife, that new baby to arrive, or waiting for a significant breakthrough or a dream to come true.
 
 Waiting…waiting…waiting!
 
If the truth be told, most of us are uncomfortable with waiting times.
 
I will be honest with you: I hate to wait! But I must learn to wait.
 
 In our walk with God, there are times when all we can do is wait.
 
In the Old Testament of the Bible, the prophet Micah was waiting.
 
“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.” Micah 7:7
 
Note that Micah said “But as for me.” He confessed a personal commitment to wait for the Lord. Whether others waited or not, Micah would. He diligently watched for the God of His salvation, waiting for the Lord to hear him and meet his need.
 
The nation was morally and spiritually lost. Oppression ruled the day. Greed and corruption abounded in the hearts of Judah’s leaders. Micah’s heart was broken over his nation’s waywardness in walking away from the ways of the Lord. As darkness surrounded him, Micah waited on the Lord for His light to shine through.
 
As with Micah, life happens to you and me. And it often leaves us waiting.
 
So, we wait. While we wait, we do all we know to do. We faithfully obey the Lord in every detail. We stretch our faith to the max. We seek wise counsel. We exhaust all our ideas and resources. All is left is to wait. And wait some more.
 
Waiting is not necessarily a bad thing. Wait is a good four-letter word when we are waiting on the Lord. It is good for us to wait for Him.
 
The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord.” From personal experience, David knew the benefits and blessings of waiting on God. That is why he could exhort and encourage you and me us to wait for the Lord.
           
Waiting for the Lord when you have been waiting and waiting requires a positive attitude, a confident, patient spirit and a steadfast, courageous heart.   
 
It takes faith, fortitude and more than a fair amount of personal discipline to wait for the Lord in life. Strong, not weak people, have learned how to wait for the Lord when all they can do is wait.
           
I do not know your situation today. But like me, you are probably waiting for something to happen in your life that you have been waiting  for some time. So what should you and I do when there is nothing else to do but wait? We should WAIT!
 
Let me suggest some ways how to wait when all we can do is wait.
 
            1. WAIT WITHOUT WORRY. Do not be anxious while waiting. Refuse to worry. God is not in a hurry. He will show up right on time. His time. Our worrying will not speed God up. Worry will only make our waiting time miserable!
 
            2. WAIT EXPECTANTLY. While you wait, expect God to come and do something magnificent for you. Be encouraged that He will keep His promises and do for you what you cannot do for yourself. Keep your expector expecting good things from the Lord while you wait for Him.
           
            3. WAIT PATIENTLY. Be patient with God’s perfect process. He really does know what He is doing. The Lord knows when to reveal Himself and meet your every need according to the riches of His glory in Jesus Christ.
           
            4. WAIT WELL. Be and stay positive. Resist pressure to make something happen. Step back. Be still. Let God be God. Encourage others as you wait. Inspire people to wait well when all we can do is wait.
 
Waiting time is never wasted time when we are waiting on the Lord. When you wait on God, it is worth the wait!
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Years ago a dear friend sent me these inspiring words on a Dayspring card.
 
            “God wants you to move through this day with a quiet heart, an inward assurance that He is in control, a peaceful certainty that your life is in His hands, a deep trust in His plans and purposes, and a thankful disposition toward all that He allows. He wants you to put your faith in Him, not in a timetable. HE WANTS YOU TO WAIT ON HIM AND WAIT FOR HIM. In His perfect way, He will put everything together…see to every detail…arrange every circumstance…and order every step to bring to pass what He has for you.
           
What a wonderful word of encouragement and inspiration! It reminds me to wait well when all I can do is wait.
 
Micah declared “But as for me I will wait.” What do you say? Will you say “But as for me (your name) I will wait?”
 
If you are waiting for the Lord, keep waiting on Him. Yes, wait for the Lord!
 
“Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually.”                                                                                                            Hosea 12:6
 
“Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation; for Thee, I wait all day.”                                                                                                 Psalm 25:5
 
A Word For Your Week: When all you can do is wait—WAIT!!!

​Mountains.
 
I was raised in the Pacific Northwest where we have real mountains. Towering, majestic, mystical mounds of impregnable rock, evergreen trees and rushing, clear water streams, dot the lush, breathtaking landscape of western Washington State. Sky piercing, imposing peaks of pumice and granite stone stretching upward to the heavens are an awe-inspiring wonder of God’s incredible creation. I love those mountains!
 
I have resided in Oklahoma for over thirty years. Guess what? No lofty mountains in this plains state. I believe Steve Roll’s heavenly mansion will be surrounded by mountains, forests and streams!    
 
Truth is, not all mountains in life are majestic.
 
Some mountains make life miserable. Mountains of sin and shame, guilt and bitterness, illness, debt, depression, disappointment, broken relationships, grief and sorrow can block our path to a happy and satisfying life.
 
While teaching Kingdom principles, Jesus, standing on Mt. Olivet, pointed to the Dead Sea in the distance and boldly declared that we can move mountains of trouble and difficulty that are obstacles in our lives.  
 
The Lord tells us in Mark 11:22 to “Have faith in God.”
 
“And Jesus answered them saying “Have faith in God.”
 
These four powerful words pinpoint for us our life purpose. Bottom line: We are to put our faith in God. Believers in Christ can become mountain movers through faith in God.
 
He goes on to explain how to exercise mountain-moving “faith in God” in verses 23 and 24.
 
“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him.” Therefore, I say to you all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.”                        Mark 11:23-24
 
 
 
I see in our verses for the week a simple three step strategy for faith to move mountains.
 
1. SAY WHAT YOU BELIEVE! Speak to your mountain. Twice Jesus uses the word “says.” There is power in the spoken Word. Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). God spoke creation into being with His Word. Jesus says we can move mountains with our words. Words of faith that is. I call biblical faith say it faith.
 
Say it faith is faith that removes mountains. Speak God’s will and what you want. Take charge. Talk to your difficulty. Tell it that you are a person of faith and that it must go swimming! Cast that mountain into the sea.
 
2. BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY! Pray about your mountain. Verse 23 is all about praying and asking in faith. Pray it and say it with faith and do not doubt. Jesus says not to doubt in our hearts. Doubt out. Faith in.
 
Pray a prayer of belief. Believe in your heart and speak with your mouth. Believe what? That what you say is going to happen. See by faith, pray in faith and speak your sickness gone. Your debts dissolving. Your depression defeated. Your sorrow fleeing away and joy returning. SEE IT THEN SAY IT.
           
When we doubt, mountains tower over us. When we believe, we tower over mountains. Hearts full of faith and free from doubt move mountains. Believing prayer turns mountains into molehills.
 
* BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY AND SAY WHAT YOU BELIEVE.
 
3. RECEIVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE! Jesus says if we do step one and two, step three is this: “it will be granted him.”  Note “will be” not might be. Your mountain will be gone. History!!! Verse 24 hitchhikes off verse 23 and declares that receiving follows believing. Say it faith sees with the eye of faith and receives what it believes.
 
Say it faith sees the mountain drowning in the sea. Say it faith is a slay it faith. Pray it, say it, and slay your mountain in Jesus’ name!
 
With tremendous, personal faith, Caleb spoke these words to Joshua upon entering the Promised Land. “Give me this mountain!” (See Joshua 14:12). Which mountain Caleb? That one over there Joshua. See it--the towering one with the giants on it. That is the one I want. Let me at them. I will take the high country from the enemy through faith in the living God! Caleb did. He spoke faith and took the mountain.
 
*BELIEVING ALWAYS PRECEDES RECEIVING
 
Some imposing mountain standing in your way, blocking your progress as a Christian? Do not cower. Demonstrate power. Tell the mountain tower to be removed in Jesus’ name!
 
You, yes you, can be a mountain mover!
 
“THEREFORE, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you receive them, and they shall be granted you.”                                           Mark 11:24
 
A Word For Your Week: Move your mountains by faith in the name of your mountain moving God!